LAKEPORT — Lawyer and superior court judge candidate Michael Lunas relocated and reopened his practice this week after his office in a historic Lakeport building caught fire about a month ago.
Lunas said the last few weeks were a challenge to keep his practice and campaign running.
“I think as of this time, we”ve gotten back to normal as best we can under the existing circumstances,” Lunas said on Friday.
The temporary location of his practice is at 991 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.
Lunas said officials are working on an estimate for the damage to the fire-charred building on the corner of Third and Main streets.
“I”m expecting within a few days to have a lot more information on the status in terms of damage to the building,” he said.
An engineer and building inspector were at the site Friday. Lunas” mother and uncle own the building, which dates back to the mid-1870s.
The first floor, which was occupied by Penny Lane Emporium, was cleared out and some light demolition was performed Tuesday to open up the structure to inspect for damage.
The floor joists and ceilings were being inspected for structural damage, which was expected to be minimal.
The first floor originally had 10- to 12-foot ceilings, but a lower ceiling was put in a number of years ago. It was inspected for damage.
The fire destroyed some contents of his office, including electronic equipment and furniture. Some client files sustained smoke damage.
“All files went out and were treated for smoke and soot damage,” he said. “For the most part, we didn”t lose client files that we haven”t been able to restore. I still feel like it could”ve been way worse than it is. We could”ve lost the building and all the contents and records.”
He said the investigators, engineers and insurance adjusters credited the Lakeport Fire Protection District with knocking the fire down and keeping the damage to a minimum.
“The fire department did a great job,” he said. “I can”t say enough about that.”
Lunas said people have asked him what will happen to the building.
“People are concerned we were going to knock it down,” he said. “We want to assure the community we”ll put it back together, repair it and get it opened, hopefully within two to three months.”
Repairs to the face of the building should begin next week to make it look better while construction is under way.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
